Tutsi

Tutsi
Abatutsi
Regions with significant populations
 Burundi1.7 million (14% of the total population)
 Rwanda1–2 million (9%–15% of the total population)[1]
Languages
Kinyarwanda, Kirundi
Religion
Christianity (80%), Islam (5%)
Related ethnic groups
Other Rwanda-Rundi peoples and Hima people

The Tutsi (/ˈtʊtsi/ TUUT-see[2]), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (Kinyarwanda pronunciation: [ɑ.βɑ.tuː.t͡si]), are an ethnic group established primarily in Rwanda and Burundi.[3] They are a Bantu-speaking[4] people and the second-largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and Twa.[5]

Historically, the Tutsi were pastoralists and filled the ranks of the warrior caste. Before 1962, they regulated and controlled Rwandan society, which consisted of Tutsi aristocrats and Hutu commoners under a clientship structure. The Tutsi occupied the dominant positions in the sharply stratified society and constituted the ruling class.[5]

  1. ^ After the Rwandan genocide there was no more ethnic census; an estimated 9 to 15 percent of the population is Tutsi
  2. ^ "Tutsi". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ Pauls, Elizabeth Prine; et al., eds. (2007). "Tutsi". Britannica. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Rwanda | Language & Facts". Britannica. 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  5. ^ a b Brenneman, Richard (1969). Rwanda, a Country Study. United States: US Government. p. 46. LCCN 2007492448. OCLC 22675245. 9910001051459703686.
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